Media crush is on at the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic

Somewhere inside this swarm of reporters is Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner.

    This year's AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic has attracted more media attention than ever with the matchup between Oklahoma and Texas A&M as well as the presence of the Heisman Trophy winner.
More than 620 media credentials were requested this year.  
    "Some people like to say they have more than 1,000 requests, and that's counting TV network people," Cotton Bowl VP of Communications Charlie Fiss said. "You can't accommodate that many and actually service everybody. We had to say no to some people, although we'd love for everybody to come. But not even Cowboys Stadium is that big."
    More than 350 media requests were granted, a record for The Classic since the move to Cowboys Stadium. Previous Classics at the old Cotton Bowl stadium had an auxiliary seating area outside the pressbox for media and could handle larger numbers.
    The 2013 Classic is an especially attractive media draw with Texas A&M and Oklahoma, former Big 12 rivals, having large local fan bases and both being ranked in the top 11 of the final BCS rankings.
    But it puts the media frenzy over the top with the addition of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, aka Johnny Football, and the star power of a Heisman Trophy winner. Manziel will be the eighth Heisman winner to play in the Classic. Everyone wants a piece of the Heisman winner, but so far the media gatherings have been cordial, if a bit overwhelming at times.
    "We haven't had one in 14 years, since Ricky Williams (Texas)," said Fiss, who has been present for five of the Heisman winners' visits to the Cotton Bowl. "That's the exciting thing, because we haven't had one in a while. You don't get a chance to have a guy like that all that often."
    The bronze Heisman Trophy creates almost as much of a stir as Manziel himself when it's carried into a room. Fans and media alike have taken to posing for pictures with the iconic statue.
    "The trophy's a rock star," Fiss said. "We'll have the trophy around Cotton Bowl events this week. It should be quite the hit."